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Homeplugs

Hi i am totally out my depth with HAM Radio.

Only reason i signed up, was that i have been told that if i use Homeplugs to distribute my Internet/network around my house, it will cause interference to any nearby HAM Radio users, as i don't know if any live nearby, i can't go and ask them, don't want to plug them in only to find out i am blocking or interfering with their radio.

Alas, even when amateur radio is the 'primary user' of a given set of frequencies, it's not a 'protected service', so the poor old ham has to grin and bear all sorts of interference, with things like Homeplugs being amongst the worst offenders. Plug them in and you will almost certainly be radiating some unwanted interference. It's only if that interfered with a primary user - police, ambulance, TV or radio broadcasters etc that someone would step in.

As you have been considerate enough to sign up and ask (most don't) perhaps you might consider using a 'switch' (a box that will connect computers etc together) and lengths of CAT 5 cable. Not so neat, but usually faster and more reliable than any form of wi-fi - and no interference for any nearby hams!

These devices were designed quite poorly from every perspective apart from the internet part - which works quite well. In my house I tried one, and it did mean that on the 'short-wave' bands there was a lot of horrible noises, what decided it for me was that it performed worse than ordinary wifi! It isn't supposed to, but it did. Network cables seem the fastest and most reliable, wifi connection with dongles in the PCs came second, and the mains wiring connection was early worst. A bit of investigation suggests that my neighbours, on the same phase of the mains have a mains fed baby alarm of some sort, and there's very low level internet data on the line suggesting other neighbours may have similar things going on.

There's also a chance that if you have any ham neighbours, your data could be compromised by their activity - and you'd probably not notice, just experience sudden slow speeds and the occasional dropout of service.
Paul

Most cable modems now have built in routers. I can connect to my internet either using either wireless via the computer's, tablet's and phone's built-in WiFi or via Cat 5 or 6 cable as I have done to my Blu-Ray player. The last thing in the world I would ever do is distribute my internet vial the power lines. One failure in the plug and you've got 115 VAC running back through your cable to your computer. Real safe...